Things You Didn't Know About - Page 3

1995’s 'Toy Story' wasn’t just an epic success because it was the first feature length animated film done entirely with computer graphics and one of the highest grossing films of the year. It was also a film that put the name "Pixar" on everyone's lips.

In wake of the recent, sudden death of celebrated Hollywood filmmaker Tony Scott, we have decided to honor his memory by compiling a list of fun facts about the influential director's many blockbuster movies.

Some fans and pop culture junkies might like to think that Superman is the most timeless and iconic of all comic book super heroes, but even the man from Krypton who can bend steel with his bare hands doesn’t have the generational reach of Batman.

The legend of America’s birth is only 236 years old. However, in that short amount of time, a number of legends that would normally take centuries to grow and multiply in any other civilization have sprung up.

The news of writer and director Nora Ephron’s passing came as a shock to many because even in her old age, she still seemed as vibrant, optimistic and self-effacing as ever in her writing and her style.

Ray Bradbury, the man who penned numerous fantasy and science fiction classics of American literature, like ‘Fahrenheit 451’ and ‘The Martian Chronicles,’ died June 5th, 2012, in Los Angeles at the age of 91.

Bradbury was a master of the written word. His wonderful imagination seemed to hold no bounds. He wrote more than two-dozen novels in his lifetime, and helped cement science fiction as a true literary genre. His lyrical prose, combined with his provocative storylines, captivated the hearts and minds of his readers.

We know he’s worth a whole lot of money ($17.5 billion to be exact). We know he is the father of Facebook, and refuses to sell it because he wants to keep raising it. We know he went to Harvard, but never finished. We know there is a set of twins who wish they had never met him. And, we know that today, May 14th, is his 28th birthday. But, there has to be more to know about Mark Zuckerberg.

Maurice Sendak’s passing marked more than just the end for a great children’s author and illustrator. Parents and children alike have read and loved Sendak’s works and stories for years because as Sendak often said, he didn’t consider his books to be for children. They may have been marketed that way, but the ideas and images Sendak created spoke to more than just the young and young at heart.

With the celebration of Cinco De Mayo coming up, we thought we'd shed some light on this festive holiday. While it’s been widely celebrated throughout the United States as a way to honor the heritage and ancestry of Latino communities and culture, it’s also one of the most misconceived holidays on the calendar.

In fact, the style and substance of the celebration has been sharply criticized for using the culture and history to commercialize and almost cloud the holiday’s true origins. Get the real story on Cinco De Mayo below.

The sinking of the infamous RMS Titanic in 1912 has gone down (no pun intended) as the most famous ocean liner disaster in history, thanks in part to popular culture’s take on the topic from the 1958 Roy Ward Baker film ‘A Night to Remember’ to James Cameron’s legendary blockbuster ‘Titanic.’ And yet the legend surrounding this infamous boat (and the 1,500-plus people it took down with it) has surpassed some of the actual events that transpired in the icy North Atlantic Ocean.

Every year on April 1st, office water coolers are spiked with white wine and computer mouses are glued to desks. Every year on college campuses, half empty buckets of water are placed on the top of dorm room doors and passed out bros are covered with marker ink. And throughout the world, the sound of chuckling and cackling can be heard echoing across its borders.

It would be very hard to find someone who had a television in their house growing up and didn’t spend a big chunk of their childhood basking in the warm glow of Mr. Rogers’ beatific smile. Today we celebrate the great man's birthday (he would've been 84) with a few things you might not know about his historic children's TV show.

Few icons from folklore and mythology have been branded and co-opted more than the leprechaun. Stories of their rare appearances and coveted pot of gold have permeated almost every aspect of popular culture. They have become so synonymous with Irish culture that the streets are filled with tall green hats and green coats every St. Patrick’s Day. Their history, however, is far different from the traditional leprechauns that endlessly wander into bars and fight hangovers one weekend in March. Take a look at a few things you probably didn't know about leprechauns.

The platypus is one of the most interesting creatures ever to come out of Mother Nature's workshop. It's a huge slap in the face to the very foundations and theories of biological design and it's bizarre, almost 'Far Side-esque' design makes it one of the cuter and more amusing stops at any local zoo. This twisted creation of nature and genetics was given its own day of honor, along with the groundhog, the pig and the turkey (although, technically, that's Thanksgiving).

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